Cash and parcel transmitter



(NoModeL) W. S. REED.

CASH AND PARCEL TRANSMITTER.

N0. 306,353. Patented 0011.7, 1.884.

fr l 772/? 4 7 OQ W iran rains arnn'r rrica IVILLIAM S. REED, OF LEOMINSTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

CASH AND PARCEL TRAN$MITTEP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 306,353, dated October 7, 18 84:.

Application filed December 10, 1888. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. REED, of Leominster, in the county of \Vorcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Mechanism for Actuating Cash and Parcel Transmitters, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which Figures 1 and 2 represent wire tracks with my lever mechanism for propelling spherical carriers thereon; Fig. 3, a section through a spherical carrier,with my means of securing a porte-monnaie thereto, Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, modifications to be referred to.

My present invention consists in a lever for projecting a cash or parcel carrier across a track, one end of said lever being brought forcibly against the carrier by the action of a released spring inherent in said lever, or by a rapid motion of the attendant when the lever is not endowed with the spring property.

My invention also consists ,in certain de vices for locking and releasing the said actuating mechanism, and also in means of attach ing a portemonnaie or other receptacle to the carrier, to be hereinafter described and specifically claimed.

In the said drawings, A B represent two posts, between which extends a horizontal wire track, a, upon which is axiallylocated a ball, C,to which a porte-monnaie, b, is secured by inserting it within or between the bifurcations of a springclasp, c, Fig. 3. I

D D are wire spring-levers, bent as shown, Fig. 1, the upper end of each being fastened to one of the posts, while the lower end of the lever extends down below the track a on one side thereof, and is so bent as to return above and on its opposite side.

At any convenient pointfor instance, at or near its lower bend, dI attach one end of a cord, 0, the other end being conducted to a place within easy reach of the salesman or cashier. In its normal position the lower end of the bent spring-lever is forward, as seen in full lines, Fig. 1.

Then a sale has been made, the salesman deposits the cash received into the cash-receptacle, places it between the lower ends of the springclasp 0 depending from the ball 0, and then retracts the spring-lever by pulling on the cord 0, which operation draws the lower end of the lever back into the position shown in dotted lines, thereby accumulating the spring-power of the lever. The cash-carrier or ball 0 may then be slid up to the lower end of the lever D, when the cord- 6 is suddenly loosened and the ball struck with considerable force by the released end of the lever, and projected to the opposite end of the wire at the cashiers desk. The cashier, on emptying the cash contents of the portemonnaie, then withdraws the lower end of the spring-lever D above him into the position seen in dotted lines, slides the carrier with its empty porteinonnaie into close proximity thereto, and returns it to the salesman by a blow from the spring-lever,liberated as before described.

If the distance between the salesmans counter and cashiers desk be considerable,aspring of adequate strength is required, and in such case I intend to hold the lower end of the spring-lever back in a position ready to act by means of a locking device, one form of which may be a spring catch or red, h, as seen in Fig. 5, in which the rod is pivoted at 27, and held by an elastic cord or spring, 7, so that its hooked locking end Zwill always be in a posit-ion to retain the lower end of the impellinglever when drawn back ready to be released, the locking device being disengaged from the lower end of said lever by pulling a cord, m, attached to the outer end of the locking device.

Another form of locking device is seen in Fig. 7, which. may be conveniently used when the actuating spring-lever D is placed with its free end up, said locking device consisting of a simple hooked lever, G, pivoted at a above the free end of the lever, and having its inner end, 1), weighted, so as to keep its hooked looking end always down in its normal position, ready to catch over the upper free end of the actuating-lever and retain it back against the post. The under side of the hook is inclined, so that when the upper end of the actuatinglevcr is drawn back it will slide under the incline, and after passing its hooked end will be held in this position by the weighted end of the locking-lever.

In Fig. 6 is represented a weighted (not spring-actuated) bent lever, D,-the lower end of which is pivoted at q to abracket, 0*, extend ing out from the side of each post A B. From the lower end of this lever project two arms, 8 i, one, 8, extending inward, and provided with a cord, w, at its outer end, and the other arm, t, extending out, and being provided with a weight, a. The upper end of each lever D, Fig. 2, extends below the wire a, and is so bentas to pass up on one side thereof and return on the other side below it, in a manner similar to the spring-levers D D. The lower weighted end, 1, keeps the lever Din its normal position, with its top back against the post, in which position it is in readiness to be forcibly projected against the ball by giving a sud den pull down on the cord :0, the ball being caused to travel to the opposite end of the wire, after which (this cord being released) the weighted lower end, y, tips the lever D back against the post, as before.

Instead of returning the top of the lever by a weight, a spring, 11, may be employed, and located in between the post and lower end of the lever just above its fulcrum, as in Fig. 6. It is evident that when the levers D D are inverted they will still be capable of producing the same effect, the upper end of each lever in such case being the free or actuating end. InFi g. 4is represented a carrier having two grooved wheels running on a wire track, the

frame of the carrier being provided with a' yielding buffer at each end. The actuatingpower in this construction is a spiral spring, 9, which is compressed into its working position by pulling on a cord passing centrally through the same and connected with a plate,

w, against which the inner end of the spring bears, said spring, when compressed, being held in this position by a weighted latch, '1 or other suitable locking device catching over the front of the plate, the actuating-spring being released by pulling down on a cord or wire attached to 3/, within reach of the salesman or cashier.

A cash-transmitter similar to that shown in Fig. 8 may be propelled by my actuating mechanism on a track having two parallel sides or rails, with a space between them for the passage of the central guiding portion, z, of the sliding carrier.

Besides actuating a carrier for conveying cash, my spring of sufficient strength may be used for actuating carriers of small parcels.

I do not claim, broadly, a track having at one or both ends spring actuating devices for the propulsion of the carriers; but

WVhat I claim as my invention is 1. In combination with posts A and B, the

horizontal wire track a, having thereon an axially-located ball, 0, and a cash-receptacle its clasp 0, (shown in Fig. 3,) the whole as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In combination with posts A and B, the horizontal wire track a, having thereon an axially-located ball, a carrier inserted within or between the bifurcations of its clasp 0, and the spring-wire levers, formed as shown and described.

3. The combination, with the horizontal wire track stretched between supports, of the axially-located ball on the track, spring-wire levers, triggers, and mechanism for operating the device, substantially as described.

4. In combination with a carrier-ball, as shown in Fig. 3, the spring-clasp thereon and the porte-monnaie or cash-receptacle, substantially as described.

Witness my hand this 24th day of November, 1883.

WILLIAM S. REED.

' In presence of N. W. STEARNS, JAS. W. CHAPMAN.

inserted within or between the bifurcations of 

